This invention relates to an explosion relief system for a building.
Explosion relief systems for buildings are provided in order to ameliorate the effects of an explosion inside a building. Typically, these systems include an explosion relief panel which will break away and thus provide a "weak" point in the building to relieve the force of the explosion in such a way to limit the damage. For buildings which are inside of other buildings, a blast shaft is associated with the explosion relief panel, the blast shaft directing the force of the explosion away from the inner building and then through the wall or the roof of the outer building.
For stand-alone buildings, there remains a need to direct the force of the explosion (and, concurrently, pieces of material which can act as shrapnel) out of the building to cause the least amount of damage. This need is particularly acute where human beings are in the vicinity of the building.
What is needed, therefore, is an explosion relief system that directs the force of the explosion as well as any "shrapnel" created thereby away from the building and any persons near the building, so that the least amount of damage is caused thereby.